West Ham's assistant manager Billy McKinlay was sent off after furiously clashing with Bayer Leverkusen's coaching staff during Thursday's Europa League clash at the London Stadium.<br /><br />Moments after referee Jose María Sanchez brandished the red card to McKinlay, a mass brawl erupted between the West Ham and Bayer Leverkusen players on the pitch, as Michail Antonio tried to wrestle the ball off Odilon Kossounou.<br /><br />Jarrod Bowen, Aaron Cresswell, and Edson Alvarez were among those to leap to the defense of Antonio after Leverkusen captain Jonathan Tah confronted him in the center of the melee.<br /><br />Soon, most players from both sides lunged into the brawl, with Tah and Antonio picking up bookings following the incident.<br /><br />It is not yet known what exactly sparked the touchline row between both sets of coaches, but McKinlay appeared furious as he gestured towards a Leverkusen staff member.<br /><br />The Leverkusen coach was also sent to the stands by the referee shortly after David Moyes' assistant was given his marching orders.<br /><br />The German side, who celebrated winning the Bundesliga title after 11 years of Bayern Munich dominance at the weekend, headed into the second leg at the London Stadium with a 2-0 advantage.<br /><br />Antonio swiftly cut West Ham's deficit in half in the 13th minute with a well-taken goal, raising tensions between the two sides as both fought hard to book a place in the Europa League semi-finals. <br /><br />Despite rallying hard to level the tie, West Ham failed to breach the Leverkusen defense again and ultimately conceded in the 89th minute, as Jeremie Frimpong's strike made it a 3-1 defeat for the Hammers on aggregate.<br />
